Strait Old Line: My 32nd Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (But today is ANZAC observed holiday to all their Aussies there, & our Kiwis here as we celebrate the occasion 2 days after ANZAC day that was on Saturday, the 25th of April this year when I posted my blog about the story of Gallipoli during World War I in 1915), but first in the rugby that I was rewatching an old Super Rugby game from the archives or from the vault I should say on the 12th of February (The day before the Highlanders took to the field to take on the Crusaders in Dunedin in the great southern derby to open the season), which was back in 2003 between the battle of the Bombay's clash between Chiefs & the Blues in Hamilton in anticipation of the new Super Rugby Pacific season therefore celebrating a 30 year anniversary of the competition, where Blues player Troy Flavell had been showing the red card as a result of a serious case of foul play such as being involved in an incident that he stamped towards a Fijian hooker playing for the Chiefs of Greg Smith which cost Flavell his All Black selection after being given his marching orders by referee Paddy O'Brien (In which Chiefs halfback of Rhys Duggan got infuriated about that incident), then Chiefs winger of Roger Randle had been shown the yellow card after 'The Bua Bullet' of Fijian Rupeni Caucaunibuca who scored the try for repeated offsides that the Blues who had a player down for the remainder of that match when they overcame a send off offence to take an all-important victory that changed the course of the game that could've gone either way, but in the end, it was a 3 point win for the Blues who would gone on to eventually become champions of the competition.

And secondly in the cricket that last year marked 20 years since the first T20I cricket match took place back in 2005 at Eden Park in Auckland between New Zealand's Black Caps, & the Aussie cricket team who would gone on to win the match with Ricky Ponting being the standout performer as well as the hero of that match with his unbeaten 98 when both sides wore retro clothing which was inspired by the 80's, although the T20 form of the game was influenced by Cricket Max founded by the late Martin Crowe who was the brainchild of that format (And the first T20 World Cup took place in 2007 in South Africa which was won by India, but it's back & better than ever this year when 20 teams compete for world T20 glory, but the reason why that there's 20 teams competing? Because they want to expand the game globally by different countries competing who are not crazy on cricket such as the USA (Who are always crazy on Baseball), Oman, the UAE, Italy (Who'll make their tournament debut as the only debutant to appear in men's T20 cricket's global showpiece event, but the Italian people are crazy on football/soccer), Nepal, Namibia & Canada (It is their first appearance at a major global cricket tournament stage since 2014, while the people of Canada like my friend Rejean are always into ice hockey which is their main winter sport) to join the traditional cricket playing nations such as the defending champions India (Winners at the last tournament that was the year before), Sri Lanka, South Africa, England, Afghanistan, Australia, the West Indies, Pakistan (Who will play most of their matches in Sri Lanka as a result of political tensions of both India & the Pakistanis, & for security reasons), New Zealand, Ireland, Zimbabwe, the Netherlands, & Scotland (Who joined the tournament as the next highest ranked team, & as a replacement for Bangladesh who withdrew as a result of security reasons regarding to player safety, & political tensions between Bangladesh & India since their refusal to move all of their matches to Sri Lanka, just like if Pakistan reach the semis & final, it will be played at Colombo in Sri Lanka after all, just like in the UAE during the Champions Trophy (The mini-World Cup tournament was held in Pakistan) where India took on Australia in the semis, then later New Zealand in the final being staged in the city of Dubai which is in the United Arab Emirates).

And thirdly that there is 4 important weeks of motor racing coming up such as NASCAR's premier event of the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida, USA (Which the state marked 8 years since the tragic Parkland School shooting took place back in 2018 (For that was reminiscent of Columbine way back in 1999, Virginia Tech back in 2007, as well as Aurora then Sandy Hook also back in 2012, & Las Vegas during a music festival back in 2017) where the firearm legislations had been tweaked in that state following that mass shooting incident which resulted in 17 casualties) that is held on the same weekend as the Bathurst 12 Hour in Bathurst, Australia (The premier event of Aussie endurance racing) on the 15th of February, then a week later the Supercars Championship open their season on the weekend of the 21st to the 22nd of February at Sydney Motorsport Park in Sydney, Australia (And Broc Feeney (The man who missed out on securing the title that went to Chaz Mostert last year) cements his joint lead in the championship along with our own Kiwi Matt Payne (Last year's Bathurst 1000 winning driver) with 13 rounds to go after securing one of the race wins for Ampol Red Bull Racing (Triple Eight Race Engineering) who are now racing Fords, meanwhile Anton de Pasquale won race 2 during the night for the homologation Chevrolet team of Charlie Schwerkolt Racing (AKA Team 18) driving a Chevy), as well as the new IndyCar Series season takes place on the streets of St Pete in Florida, United States on the 1st of March (For which will be the historic first race for Sir Scott Dixon since his knighthood back as part of the New Year's honours list board in 2025/26 in our country of New Zealand for his services to motor racing (And being titled was like that it didn't change him unduly but it certainly enhanced the status & profile that was dedicated to putting a structure in place that would help his previous success, just like Dame Lisa Carrington when she was going for gold in Paris the year before 3 times since being knighted following the success in Tokyo at the delayed Olympic Summer Games in 2021 as she was given a loftier reputation just like Dixon (Okay, wow), & finally, the brand new Formula One World Championship season opens with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia due on March 6th to the 8th (And things aren't going well for the Honda powered Aston Martin constructor as they cannot spare any more backup parts therefore going into the opening race down under without a mileage compared to other teams who clocked heaps of kilometres, while RB Racing Bulls & our main man of Kiwi driver Liam Lawson (Well, my heart is at least on him despite of me backing McLaren who is a British sports car & motor racing manufacturer founded by a late Kiwi according to the previous stories on my blog) is attempting & willing to become the 5th quickest constructor this championship season behind the big 4 of reigning constructors champs McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes-AMG & Ferrari).

And lastly that Andy & Kels (Who I haven't seen since February 7th for that is the day after Waitangi day where we had a picnic there at the back of Kowhai Park in my hometown of Whanganui along with Pops & Dad) are in the South Island for their holiday with their 2 dogs of Millie & George according to the text that I saw on Messenger on my phone (And they're due to be back home in Auckland on the weekend of the 21st to the 22nd, but Andy has never heard of the LM Montgomery novel from 1908 called Anne of Green Gables with the famous line of "If you love me as I love you, not even death can part us", according to the text I sent to him on Messenger).

So that is my 680th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 32nd of this year, viva Ukraine.

I Hope I Never: My 31st Blog of the year 2026

Well, kia ora everyone, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And it's ANZAC day today so it's been 111 years since the Australian & New Zealand army corporation invaded Gallipoli in Turkey (Now Türkiye as of today) on April 25th, 1915, by launching an amphibious conflict during the first World War at the landing of ANZAC cove as part of the allies invasion, where they were aiming to secure the Dardanelles Strait for Allied ships, the troops landed there under heavy Ottoman fire as the campaign stalled into treacherous trench warfare, lasting eight months before a successful, secret evacuation in January 1916 when Gallipoli was one of the worst fighting fronts of World War I, but in the aftermath of initial attacks on Gallipoli in April 1915, the Allied invasion lost its momentum in the face of strong Turkish resistance, while ANZAC day is the most prominent national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand, & Tonga that broadly commemorates all Aussies and Kiwis who served and died in all wars, such as the playing of the Last Post, which is most commonly a British & Commonwealth bugle call used at military funerals, & at ceremonies commemorating those who have tragically passed away in the war, in which ANZAC day is a national moment of pause, but a time to reflect on the past, connect with the present & honour those who shaped the freedoms we hold today (And we were once brothers that we have good relations towards them when we fought in Gallipoli, but we're strangers on the sporting field especially in rugby, cricket, league & football (Soccer), but first that Pops was trying to find his phone, but he somehow left it behind at the Commercial Hotel pub near both the police station & the courthouse, but we were trying to find out (And I managed to call off the search), until he went when it opened at half past 10, & he was there meaning that his phone had been found meaning that we went to Burger King for lunch where I had a chicken burger with fries & a vanilla flavoured sparkling water (And I went to Cash Converters after for a browse around, but I was never interested about it), & the rest was history (And me & Pops watched the brand new Super Rugby Pacific season that we've been watching, then had Graze Out fish with potatoes & veg meal for dinner (And I had fruit salad with Nutra grain, yoghurt & milk for my dessert, but we're heading to St John's Club Elms Restaurant on the 15th of February (The day after Valentine's Day) where me & Pops go to that place regularly to have a feed every Sundays).

And secondly in the gaming that a new update for the existing Dead or Alive 6 game is going to come out in June 26th this year dubbed as Dead or Alive 6: Last Round (It'll feature 24 characters + 5 DLC characters such as Phase 4, Nyotengu, Tamaki, Momiji & Rachel previously released, while there will be new content such as DLC characters & costumes) just like Dead or Alive 5 just released 3 versions, such as the original DOA 5, then Dead or Alive: Ultimate & DOA 5: Last Round, even though with a new Dead or Alive project game coming out in the future (And there is no cross play, no roll-back net code, & no Kula Diamond & Mai Shiranui as a result of licensing to speak with once the game comes out where there will be either free to play core fighters, or the full version that includes all characters).

And thirdly that I was saw that Super Rugby Pacific promo on Sky Sport which celebrates 30 years of that incredible high intensity rugby competition for that I heard a familiar tune which is 'Can't Get Enough' by the NZ rock band Supergroove for which is my fave song now from the band (And it used to be 'Sitting Inside My Head' only sung by one of the band members of Che Fu, but that song before the latter came out in 1994 had taken over for me as my favourite Supergroove song).

And finally that I don't know what to do in the future, because that I might move back to my old flat at Dad & Raewyn's place if Pops passes away (And he has been telling me that he's attempting to live at the late Nana Minnie's age), but if Dad & Raewyn passes away (But only if Pops has passed away already) that I must remain in the flat instead of living with Andy & Kelsey by moving with them to Auckland in the future.

So that is my 679th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 31st of this year, viva Ukraine.

When It's Love: My 30th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hey guys & girls, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that there was once a story about me when I famously had a Subway in Australia back in 2010 at Brisbane International Airport where I was with Dad, Dad's 2nd partner, Bernie & Jansi Jans when we were doing our family holiday back then when the late Aunty Mavis won a prize for us to go to the Gold Coast for which was our late Christmas present at the time (And I love Subway since for which is an healthy option, but I also love Burger King as well because of them being my fave fast food restaurant, although Subway is the healthier option for fast food craving stuff).

And secondly that there were 3 iconic lap of the gods in motor racing such as the late Brazilian hero Ayrton Senna who started 5th where he worked his way up to the lead when he overtook cars on the very first lap of the rain drenched European Grand Prix at Donington in the UK which hosted its Formula One World Championship Grand Prix race during the post-war era for the only time such as Karl Wendlinger, both future world champions such as Michael Schumacher & Damon Hill, & the eventual world champion Alain Prost before Senna won that thrilling race which will forever be remembered, but the 2nd one was our own Kiwi Greg Murphy in a Holden Commodore VY V8 Supercar back in 2003 during the top 10 shootout of the Bathurst 1000 endurance race V8 Supercars event at the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst where he clocked a 2:06.8 for which was the most iconic in Aussie motor sport history to put his position of winning 'The Great Race' a day later (His 3rd out of 4 times that he won), & the 3rd & final one which was future IndyCar driver of New Zealander Scott McLaughlin driving a Ford Falcon FG X Supercars Championship car who made a historic benchmark by setting that pole winning time of 2 minute, 3.8 also during the Bathurst 1000 Supercars Championship event also back in 2017, a day before the race when that stunning lap had shattered the previous record set by Murph which was 3 seconds faster than the one set in 2003, & is considered the quickest ever lap.

And thirdly that me & Pops had a picnic with Andy, Kels & the 2 dogs of Millie & George at the back of Kowhai Park for lunch where we got food & drink that we bought from Cactus Creme Cafe, & Andy was telling me about his cousin Marisa who I got on well with her on Messenger as she watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina (Well, I think I watched it thinking that I was not intending to watch it) where it had celebs who appeared such as successful female  American singer Mariah Carey who sung in Italian, then an Italian film star of Pier Francesco Favino, as well as the famous Italian blind singer Andrea Bocelli (Who performed at the delayed Euro 2020 final held in 2021 at Wembley Stadium between England, & the eventual champions Italy (Whom Bocelli cheered them on throughout the duration of the final, but I was telling Pops that I saw Bocelli on TV) sang the famous opera song 'Nessun Dorma' by the late Luciano Pavarotti, & South African born American actress & one of the late Nelson Mandela's friends of Charlize Theron appearing to address a sustainable peace settlement throughout the world that was rocked by that dreadful invasion since 2022 (And that dreadful American vice-leader got put off with a chorus of boos by these passionate Italian fans as they showed hostility towards him during the opening ceremony (In which the United States (Whose country is hostile just like the Axis of Upheaval (And I love Marisa as my friend on Facebook, but I hate America, especially the far right wing conservative people that I can't stand with (And they're like bullies to start with, but I am outraged & upset about it) because of that dreadful American leader who is in fact, still my personal public enemy number one just like both Rejean & Mum, along with all of the leaders from countries that are part of the Axis of Upheaval) has since been taken over by that evil male blondie who is influenced by that late German leader) & nationalist Germany, while there has been protests as cops fire tear gas in order to disperse the crowds similar to the 2 that I was trying to put on my blogs, but I can't now because it is sensitive to these countries such as the US & one of the Axis of Upheaval countries by keeping it clean & respectful to avoid being offended by it like someone for example just like that dreadful invasion since 2022 (And I'm like Man City coach Pep Guardiola who had been asked to be silent on that matter about that shocking conflict along with the Gaza one that they used to have, along with the brutal but deadly ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement for which is the modern day Gestapo agents during nationalist Germany times in the 1930's & 1940's) shootings such as the ones on Renee Good & Alex Pretti in which protestors were outraged, red faced & disgusted by being infuriated but cross about the situation in the United States where they showed solidarity towards both Good & Pretti, as well as hostility being shown towards that dreadful American leader (Who is in fact compared to that late Italian media tycoon, politician & ex-owner of AC Milan football/soccer club from 1986 in which he bought the struggling club until he sold it to the Chinese owners back in 2017 who is a goon, & is corrupt just like that current US President of the most controversial Silvio Berlusconi) & that shocking vice-leader that has raised the ire of most far left wing liberal Americans since the nation had tightened its immigration legislations (And those protestors who are caught showing hostility against ICE should be sent to a concentration camp, just like in Auschwitz in Poland during World War II that Ronald Christie had been sent, & after the war that he bore strong hatred towards the people of Germany, but there was one point that one or two of the Germans invited him over that he abused them of showing disrespect towards the Germans as he asked them to get out by giving him space, & he did) when that dreadful American leader returned to office that had been confounded for many generations, just like the Simpsons episode from 1996 where Preposition 24 had introduced by Mayor Quimby therefore stamping out foreigners who overstay in that town of Springfield, even though with Indian shop owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon whose job visa had been expired, had been desperately wanted to become a US citizen by passing the test in which he successfully became an Indian-American, before Groundskeeper Willie had been deported to his home country to the UK on a boat for not following or complying the law regarding to Preposition 24) for which I'm infuriated & disgruntled with for that is shocking indeed, but they're going to set a deadline in June of a solution to come up of ending that brutal conflict, & that's unlikely to happen (While this could go on for long as they're taking forever of finishing that war that I can't stand along with the shocking ICE killings in America (While there has been some recruits who are influenced by the nationalist propaganda), & there could be on the cusp of World War III breaking out this year (And at least we're safe here in our country of New Zealand if there is a third world war), compared to China's potential invasion of Taiwan by next year) or in the next 4 years, but she's watching the Superbowl between the Patriots (Who haven't won since the 2018 season that was during the Tom Brady era) & the Seahawks (The last time they won the Superbowl was during the 2013 season) this Monday morning New Zealand time (Sunday there in America) in Santa Clara, California as well according to one of the texts that she sent to me on the 7th of February (Although I will not watch it due to Pops who isn't at least a gridiron follower because it is similar to league where it's stop start), while there has been an update when Marisa didn't watch much of the Superbowl in which Seattle triumphed over New England 29 - 13 as she focuses on watching the Winter Olympics instead.

And lastly in music related news stuff such as 20 years have passed since the award winning Stadium Arcadium album by the famous American rockers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, came out back in 2006 where it was the band's most career defining moment as they were champions of the Grammys 4 times, same year that the movies of the Da Vinci Code (For which the movie was cracked down in Samoa due to scenes related to anti-religious stuff for which was controversial about the film itself), Mission Impossible 3 (For that the movie was clamped down in China due to scenes in Shanghai that had taken place for which has been sensitive & gone too far), & James Bond 007: Casino Royale (The first Bond film to feature Englishman Daniel Craig (An ex-Bond actor) who took over from Irishman Pierce Brosnan (Who appeared from Goldeneye way back in 1995, until Die Another Day back in 2002) as the MI6 agent of James Bond, & held onto that role until the 2021 release of No Time to Die) had been released in cinemas, while Torino in Italy hosted the Winter Olympics (The last time the Olympic Winter Games was held on Italian soil before Milan-Cortina hosted it this year), then Melbourne in Australia hosting the Commonwealth Games, as well as Spain's Fernando Alonso securing back to back Formula One World Championships as he beat the likes of the most controversial figure of the sport of German legend of Michael Schumacher who had his first retirement in the aftermath of the season had concluded (In which the 2006 season was the first season to feature 2.4 litre V8 engines that would last until 2013 before the introduction of the current 1.6 litre V6 hybrid engines that had been issued since), & the Crusaders winning the Super 14 championship against the Hurricanes during the final which was the weirdest, craziest, & infamous ever in history at the old Lancaster Park in Christchurch where it was played in the fog so it was difficult to see, especially for the fans turning up at the venue.

So that is my 678th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 30th of this year, viva Ukraine.

Why Can't This Be Love: My 29th Blog of the year 2026

Well, what's up guys & girls, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first on to the gaming stuff that they announced between the Christmas & New Year period of 2025-26 that the 4 Grand Prix racing games set to relaunch under the name Geoff Crammond Racing that will be re-released on PC under the Steam platform, but without the licensing since EA Sports is the current holder for rights to the F1 game series, similar to Rugby Challenge 4 launching under the name of Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge 4 in February last year digitally (But it came out in late May physically also last year, but there was one reviewer who commented on the game about the lack of bump offs when the late Jonah was notorious for that, & it is a bit like a Mike Tyson game without any of the knockout punches being featured where I had to burst out laughing about it, but there won't be any future add on for some reason, & one of another commenters responded that he has seen it happen in that game, asking the developer to make it an actual maneuver instead of random sub to the hand off, then the reviewer replied that he was disappointed on the logic when what most of the rugby development fails mainly is the use of motion capture tech quality, & the reason why that EA Sports Rugby 08 (For which I still got it on the PlayStation 2 as part of my holy trinity of retro games along with Star Wars Battlefront II 2005, & V8 Supercars 3) had a heap of success was because of real life movement & none of that studio copy paste stuff) in response to the disappointment of the Rugby 25 game (Which had all of the licensing such as the All Blacks (New Zealand), the Springboks (South Africa), the Wallabies (Australia), the Red Roses men (England), les Bleus (France), the Men in Green (Ireland), & others) at launch which did not reach the heights of both Rugby 08 (For which was one of the best rugby video games that they ever made) & the most successful rugby computer game of them all, Jonah Lomu Rugby as a tribute to the great legendary rugby player of our country of the late Jonah Lomu (And yes that the 1995 men's Rugby World Cup held in the 'Rainbow Nation', had created a legend like no one than any other modern day greats, such as Antoine Dupont of France & Eben Etzebeth of the Springboks), but also with no licensing as well just like Geoff Crammond Racing 1 to 4 (The 1st one came out way back in 1992 was set in 1991 while the 2nd one had been released also way back in 1996 was also set during the 1994 season, then the 3rd one also came out back in 2000 was set in 1998 (And there was an expansion pack was released in 2001 was also set during the 2000 season), & the 4th & final one came out also back in 2002 was set in 2001).

And secondly that I'm going to reveal the full story of one of my Facebook friends of Marisa Lopez but first & foremost, how the hell did I end up meeting her? Through Facebook of course because I never even met her in person before, but that's unlikely due to the fact that she lives in Florida in the United States with her husband (Who used to play gridiron during school days just like Marisa's bro, Marcus the cop) & her 3 daughters who are aged between 13, 9 & 6, because that's the reason why her life is just getting personal up there, & of course that she is an American citizen who is of Filipina (Through her mum), Kiwi (Because of her dad Marty) & English (Who Martin is British along with having New Zealand links) descent, but I did not know Andy is related to Marisa due to the fact that they're cousins along with Marcus & Marat through Marty's side, as well as Yasser & Areje through Zaki therefore Andy has 5 cousins in fact...These are the questions that haunt me.

And thirdly in music that female Canadian-American pop rock singer Alanis Morissette, could be rock's equivalent of Madonna, compared to Canadian Avril Lavigne being rock's version of Britney Spears, & American Michelle Branch being the rock music equivalent of Christina Aguilera (And also that Amy Lee of Evanescence is compared to Taylor Swift, then Linkin Park's Emily Armstrong share the same role as Katy Perry, & last but not least, Daniela Velez Villareal from the Mexican band of the Warning is similar to Billie Eilish, but I haven't had a topic about music for a while on my blogs (And also that the lead singer of Killing Heidi of Ella Hooper could also be rock's equivalent of Kylie Minogue).

And finally that the Winter Olympic games at Milan-Cortina in Italy are due to get underway on the 7th of February (6th there in Italy) with the opening ceremony at the iconic San Siro being staged in Milan, but I have been watching the curling so far which is my fave winter Olympic sport to watch, but there are signs that the Santagiulia ice hockey arena won't be ready in time, but it hosted its first women's match between hosts Italy & France despite several delays & all of the controversies that a lawsuit had been set up by the Roman Catholic church meaning that construction had been stalled, but continued then ready to go, & most ice hockey fans were slammed about that little jumbotron that they had, compared to most arenas in the NHL in North America (Although the teams competing in the National Hockey League are usually accompanied by those legislation enforcement officers when the players, coaches & support staff are on a bus whilst on their way to training, & to a game) just like in 1996 or 97 where a jumbotron had been collapsed at a ice hockey arena in Buffalo, New York.

So that is my 677th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 29th of this year, viva Ukraine.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For: My 28th Blog of the year 2026

Well, hey guys, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first that it's been it's been 20 years since our whanau went to a trip to Auckland back in 2006 (The year before our family trip to Waiheke Island in January back in 2007) where I enjoyed it that much (We went to Newmarket where we saw Margie Keys who once lived there, then saw Kathryn were it was the first time I remembered meeting her, as well as seeing the late 'Wallie Wal' whose house needs cleaning in Northcote, & Russell Karu (Who is a Harvard University trained lawyer) where I saw where we were involved in a wreck near Acapulco Motel there when a musician was late to his gig that I remembered a story about it 5 years ago on my blogs that I must've uttered the words "Somebody get me to Middlemore Hospital, I have just been involved in a crash", but somebody was bursting out laughing about the situation) compared to Samoa also back in 2005 & Christchurch back in 2004.

And secondly in the football/soccer that it's been 2 decades since Italy last won the Football/Soccer men's World Cup in Germany where they beat France in the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin back in 2006 where tensions boiled over due to that one particular incident involving the French captain who was sent from the field in disgrace in his final international for assaulting an Italian player with his head that I literally, but vaguely remember now about that match (And the German crowd were showing hostility towards the Italians every time they got the ball, but that didn't help as the Italians went on to win on spot kicks, while for France (Coached by former player Didier Deschamps who excelled just like both the late Brazilian Mario Zagallo & the late German of Franz Beckenbauer), they had to wait to appear in their next final which was also back in 2018 in Russia where they beat Croatia to claim their 2nd World Cup at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow for that was by far, the best World Cup final I have ever seen on TV ever throughout my lifetime).

And thirdly that Joe Schmidt's bid of becoming the next All Blacks coach has been ruled out because of his contract with the Wallabies runs out until the end of July where Les Kiss will take over from the 1st of August effectively even though New Zealand have still yet to make an announcement of who'll take over from Scott Robertson who decided to move on by leaving his post at the end of last year (Although the match against Wales, was Robertson's last in charge of the national team), even though we're one year away until the men's Rugby World Cup which starts in October next year (But we need depth in order to win the tournament, but who'll break the South African dominance that started in 2019 (Especially the bomb squad for which is their weapon of mass destruction that never ever seem to fail according to the previous blogs that I did in which they trail by a huge margin against most favourable teams like the All Blacks, as well as France & Ireland, especially at halftime (Compared to Canada women who had a fast start in the women's Rugby World Cup final last year against the overwhelmingly dominant England women side who dominated the final to win their 3rd World Cup as they are now 3 behind the Black Ferns (Now coached by the daughter of ex-All Black coach Sir Steve, Whitney Hansen, just like Clayton McMillan departed as the Chiefs coach to head to Munster in Ireland in the URC (United Rugby Championship), allowing former player Jono Gibbes to take the reins as coach of the Chiefs for the upcoming Super Rugby Pacific season this year which will celebrate 30 years since the competition all started way back in 1996, where it began (Same year as the American city of Atlanta, Georgia hosted the Olympic Summer Games, then it was the year after the launch of Windows 95 by Microsoft also way back in 1995, & the year before Her late Royal Highness of Princess Diana (Who had been accompanied by her late Egyptian partner, Dodi al Fayed, & the driver as well, but it was her personal security manager & protector who survived the brunt force impact of it) had tragically passed away in a fatal car wreck in Paris, France on August 31st, 1997 while being pursued by the paparazzo according to the previous stories that I did on my blogs), & there was one player named Fabian Holland who is looking forward to quick rugby due to the 6 legislation reforms in an effort to quicken the pace of the match in Super level) for most women's Rugby World Cups won), then they had gone back to back last time out in 2023 where their most experienced squad managed to hold on by a single point against the All Blacks in the final? We will find that out in which they completed a grueling 5 match tour in Europe which was successful that cemented their status as the early favourites of completing a 3rd consecutive men's RWC ahead of next year's defence of the tournament).

And lastly in gaming that I managed to purchase the original Ridge Racer on both PS4 & PS5 versions of the game after I originally thought that I was not going to get it (And I'm saving money now as of January this year since the demise of EB Games which had to close down due to declining sales as well as a retail climate therefore I will have to go with Dad to JB Hi-Fi in Palmerston North or browse around online on Mighty Ape to get the latest on gaming stuff, & I've got Ridge Racer Type 4 to add to the original Ridge Racer game after I originally wasn't going to get it, but I've got the Police Simulator game along with Ready or Not & the cop section of NFS: Hot Pursuit Remastered as the games where you have to be the legislation, compared to the GTA games like in San Andreas, IV & V, & the Need for Speed games such as Payback, Heat & Hot Pursuit (In the racer section) remastered where you have to break the law, but I managed to purchase The Crew Motorfest on both the PS4 & PS5 versions, & the reason why? Is because of NASCAR making an appearance along with a couple of Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One cars that's appearing).

So that is my 676th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 28th of this year, viva Ukraine.

With or Without You: My 27th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger, but first onto the rugby stuff that way back in 1995 that South Africa became the best team in the world for the first time out of 4 (Including back in 2007, then also back in 2019 & the most recent one in 2023 where they had successfully gone back to back, the second to do so after New Zealand back in 2015) when they triumphed at the men's Rugby World Cup at home whilst making their tournament debut after not appearing then first 2 in both way back in 1987, & also way back in 1991 as a result of racial segregation policies that they imposed, but our late All Black of Jonah Lomu (Who was the greatest rugby player ever of all-time) would've easily been the player of the tournament for notching up his 7 incredible tries that he scored in which he was the joint top try scorer along with his All Black teammate at the time of Marc Ellis, but what a player, what a World Cup he's having, especially his 4 tries in a match against England (Including one that he trampled Englishman Mike Catt in one of the iconic but legendary moments in the history of the tournament according to the previous stories that I experienced on my blogs) in the semifinal was the most superhuman individual performance that a specimen had ever seen throughout our lifetime (And talk about individual efforts eh?).

And secondly that Dad took me for a ride on his new car on the 24th of January which is the 2008 model Mitsubishi Outlander that cost about NZ$7,000 (And he has not owned that car since 2021 where he sold his red older model Nissan X-Trail in favour of a LDV van that converted into a camper van) meaning that his campervan that he had needed to get patched up due to cracks on the window had been inevitable (And Pops has seen it recently where he took his phone to Dad's place to get it fixed because it had a virus in it, but it's since been patched up & ready to go already).

And thirdly onto the football/soccer related stuff that it's been 60 years since England triumphed at the 1966 Football/Soccer men's World Cup for the first, & only time when they beat West Germany in the final at Wembley in London where their English captain Bobby Moore who lifted the trophy, but it was Geoff Hurst who was the hero of that match where he scored a hat-trick just like Kylian Mbappe in 2022 where he was the first since Hurst to score 3 goals in the final, but it was a losing effort where France (They had to lose the trio of Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante & Karim Benzema through injuries, even before the tournament began where the Argentinians had a big chance of winning that tournament for the first time since 1986 (Which happened about 40 years ago, but that was the year that the late Diego Armando Maradona scored an unusual goal that knocked the English out of the tournament dubbed as 'The Hand of God', although the VAR would've checked as of today whether a goal should've been valid or not (Although the broadcast camera shows that 'El Pibe' scored it with his header), but that would've been a caution for an illegal handball that deflected onto the goal meaning that the goal had scored did not count so it would've been waved off immediately) despite losing the opening match against Saudi Arabia during the group stages where they had became just the 2nd side after Spain back in 2010 to do that) didn't help stop the Argentinian resistance from winning that penalty shootout as well as the World Cup heading back to Argentina after 36 years in one of the greatest ever Football/Soccer men's World Cup final in history of all time (And what was my reaction of that final that I just witnessed on TV? Well, I don't know, I don't give a damn) in a match that made Lionel Messi (The national hero who spearheaded his country to a successful World Cup glory just like his late idol Maradona who propelled to greatness, especially the people of Argentina).

And finally that the Black Caps who dominated the ODI series against India that our chances of winning the T20 series is over as the world champion Indians who were triumphant as they had been in charge of winning the last 3 T20 internationals in which they clinched it with New Zealand (Who had our turn of winning the 4th T20I therefore we ended the Indians chances of a clean sweep, just like England did against Australia during the Boxing Day test in Melbourne late last year) struggling to contain India's top batters (Like Abhishek Sharma for example), & bowlers (Also like Arshdeep Singh for example) that is why the reason that they lost the series in which they are sounding the alarm bells just before the men's T20 Cricket World Cup gets underway in February even though we are drawn in the group of death alongside South Africa & Afghanistan (Who we begin our campaign with) just like in 2024 where we lost to both the host nation at the time of the West Indies & the Afghans (Who had a fairytale run of making the Super 8s, then the semis in that they lost to the South Africans (Who India beat them in the final in which we haven't played against South Africa at a men's T20 Cricket World Cup since 2014) last time out even though we were missing our frontline players, but there has been an update as Bangladesh has pulled out from taking part at this year's men's T20 Cricket World Cup in India & Sri Lanka at the last minute, citing security concerns as their main factor mainly due to political tensions between the 2 countries of both India & Bangladesh so that is the reason why that player safety may be part of their withdrawal from the tournament as a result of political pressure, so they allowed Scotland (Who originally failed to qualify) to take their place in the men's T20 Cricket World Cup as the next ranked best team (And Bangladesh could even return if Pakistan chose to skip the men's T20 World Cup altogether as a result of a political spat between both nations of the Indians (Who go into their title defence of the men's T20 Cricket World Cup against the United States in the opening match with a win against the Black Caps in the 5th & last T20 international) & the Pakistanis).

So that is my 675th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 27th of this year, viva Ukraine.

P.S. And I did not know last year was the year that a famous New Zealand politician from the right wing conservative National Party who was our Prime Minister for 7 years from 1990 where he took over from the late Mike Moore who was PM for just 59 days (He passed away in 2020, a month before the heights of the COVID pandemic began) until 1997 where he resigned allowing Jenny Shipley to take over of Jim Bolger who passed away due to declining health aged 90 on October 15th (And they had their flags being raised to half mast in mourning of him as a mark of respect) so they already sent their thoughts, prayers & heartfelt condolences to him & his family, rest in paradise (RIP).

Jim Bolger

1935 - 2025

Far Away: My 26th Blog of the year 2026

Well, welcome to our readers here in New Zealand, & around the world, I'm Whetu Ngapo & you're tuning in to my KiwiAvenger blog here on blogger (And happy Easter to you all for the millions here in New Zealand, & for the billions tuning in around the world), but first in the rugby department as bad news that has hit the Highlanders camp before the start of the Super Rugby Pacific campaign this year as young promising halfback of Dylan Pledger who will be ruled out for a year after a freak training mishap had occurred there rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) for which caused an inevitability (And it is like a police officer in the US getting shot by a firearm attack like in a Grand Theft Auto game for that is similar to a rugby related injury, but my reaction of Pledger's injury was like "Oh my god! The Highlanders have lost him for the entire year, this isn't supposed to happen!"), so too is Finn Hurley as he is expected to miss the start of the season with an injury that he sustained during the pre-season (And will there be any legislation changes going into the new season? Well, yes, such as the new Etzebeth law which is due to the fact that it is a result of the crackdown on players who are illegally not behind the hindmost foot by tackling the halfback who performs the box kick every time, even though with World Rugby is launching a crackdown on players who aren't steering clear of the opposing halfback if he or she performs the box kick, as well as the Sheehan legislation that players who hurdle on top of the opposing players at a ruck in an attempt of a Superman dive of scoring a try which does count as dangerous play in that they are discussing about the legality & safety of that try being scored during a British & Irish Lions test against the Wallabies in Melbourne last year, but the governing body is going after referees who police that legislation that they are asking for hindmost if the halfback picks up the ball, then kicks (Just like in gridiron that the kicker cannot be taken out, hence the ruling of roughing the kicker, while playing the player without the ball in rugby is sort of like roughing the passer also in gridiron, but there is new legislations being brought into play in an effort to quicken the pace of the game such as players can't join in a ruck once the ref says use therefore they're clamping it down in an effort to murder caterpillars, then a short arm penalty is awarded if there is an accidental offside or teams delaying of playing the ball away from a breakdown, while sides are being allowed to pass it backwards into their half prior to their attempt of a 50:22, while players who are allowed to take a quick tap & go must be within a metre of either the side of the fair catch, or anywhere behind the fair catch, even if they're within that 2 metre channel running parallel to the touchlines, as well as there will be a prompted intervention from the TMO, even if the ref is overlooked an act of serious foul play (Sin bin level or above), or a clear and obvious violation in the lead up to a try, & the one interesting loophole amendment change will be referees who will not show a player to either the sin bin or be sent off once a penalty try is awarded is at the indiscretion of the ref if there is any sanction for which is unfair & frustrating in which the new season had brought in mods designed to further cut (Or trim I should say) stoppages (Just like that was a lengthy discussion for the referee to the TMO to check on foul play during the Ireland-AB's test in Chicago last year where it lasted 20 minutes on that occasion), inspire play always being fair (With negative play being like offenders who commit crimes), & to make simplification to the officiating of the game meaning that they were asked to prevent interfering in games like that which has been criticised by former French test rugby referee Mathieu Raynal according to his comment on Sud Radio over in France, saying that the South demand more passing, tries, less emphasis of time being spent in mauls & scrums. As the North defend these specific elements and are against directions being set by the South. Their championship works, their venues are full, rugby is more watched than football/soccer in the nation. They don't want to follow directions coming from countries where venues are empty, where they're trying to recreate spectacle and bring fans back to venues at any cost meaning that they turned rugby into politics for some reason, especially in Super & NPC (National Provincial Championship) level).

And secondly that there was once a gaming related story about me that the Gran Turismo series is by far, my fave video game franchise ahead of Grand Theft Auto for that will be my number 2, but the only Gran Turismo game that I haven't played is Gran Turismo 4 which came out way back in 2004/05 while I played the first two such as the first Gran Turismo game & Gran Turismo 2, & the last four including Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 6, Gran Turismo Sport, & my personal favourite of mine that is Gran Turismo 7 (For which is a banger according to the previous stories that I had on my blogs), & continuing onto that GTA story that the 1st Grand Theft Auto game was my first GTA game that I played, then I played Grand Theft Auto 2, then GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, then also a personal fave of mine which is IV (And its expansion packs of the Lost & the Damned & then another favourite of mine that is the Ballad of Gay Tony, while that game of Grand Theft Auto IV is also by far, an absolute banger & a masterpiece as I mentioned from my stories from the past that I experienced on my blogs) & V, but VI is due to come out in November this year so I'll be getting it digitally on the PS5 (+ the Star Wars: Battlefront series would have to be number 3 & the old TOCA series (That was before the GRID series had taken over from them) would be right up there, at number 4).

And thirdly that it looks like that Andy & Kelsey will turn up earlier in February this year during Waitangi weekend instead of late January according to the notices on the whiteboard (And I had to update it so it looks correct at the time being) because of the text that I saw from him on Messenger where I haven't contacted them for a fortnight yesterday (And I sent a friend request to Marisa Lopez (Daughter of Marty (Who is currently with Leyla in Hong Kong with their son Marat (Named after the famous tennis player of Marat Safin) from a previous relationship) who lives in Florida in the United States where she agreed to become friends with me on Facebook for which I'm ecstatic but thrilled & stoked about it (Compared to me that I was devastated but stunned & gutted that Paige who had never accepted my friend request last year therefore that my friendship with her & Cathey Middelplaats is over as the pair had to betray me by being double crossed (Well, I'm not going to Wellington with either Pops or Dad because of the both of them who hate me for some reason), despite the fact that I never met her during my entire life, even though she's mutual friends with Pops through the late Carole just because she messages to him according to one text on Messenger saying that Andy was kind of Marisa who accepted my friend request meaning that it was official (And she is my American friend now even though we could be besties one day just like Justine, but only Sophia Ong has been my best friend along with Kels & Andy who is even my only male BFF so far), but I'm still waiting for confirmation from Zarife Cohen (Narlea & Stephen's daughter who I remembered seeing her 20 years ago back in 2006 along with her brother Jiavra during our family trip to Auckland, but never met her even though she lives in Wellington as a GP), Leonard Ngapo (Who went to the UK as a chef at a restaurant) as well as his wife Julie, & Areje Anderson who is yet to accept my friend request agreement pact).

And lastly that there was a motor racing related story about Ferrari's 4th place disqualification at last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans after post-race checks which had to be required as the DQ stemmed from a technical violation involving the 4 bolts that were missing on the rear wing support that led to a excessive wing deflection of 52mm that exceeded the 15mm limit that had been allowed in which the trio of Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen & Miguel Molina were baffled about getting themselves disqualified (And the other 2 entries, including the winning car number 83 had passed a check after the race with no further issues meaning that they had not been affected of the result when they had been given the all-clear, while Ferrari had been in charge of winning the Le Mans 24 Hours since 2023 (Then they had to go back to back the year before, then the Italian racing icon had to win it 3 times in a row last year) where they ended the utter dominance of Toyota who won it for 4 years straight from 2018 until 2022).

So that is my 674th blog of the year 2026 (MMXXVI) & my 26th of this year, viva Ukraine.